Manufacture or treatment of textile or other materials made of or containing cellulose esters or ethers



Patente ay 2, i934 MANUFACTURE UR TREATMENT OF TEX- TILIE OR OTHER MATERIALS MADE 035 091K. CQNTAINHNG QIELlLlUlLUSE IES'KEIRS R ETHERS George Holland Ellis,

Spondon, near Derby,

England, assignor to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application January 17, 1930, Serial No. 421,606. In Great Britain March This invention is a continuation in part of the invention of my prior U. S. applications S. No.

416,292 filed December 24, 1929 and S. N0. 415,833

filed December 21, 1929, and relates to the treatment and also to the manufacture of artificial silk and other filaments or products, and to the treatment of yarns, threads, fabrics or other materials made of or containing cellulose esters or ethers. In U. S. application S. No. 415,833, processes are described for the production of threads, yarns, fabrics or other materials made of or containing cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters or ethers in which the cellulose acetate or the like is rendered much more resistant to the delustering action of hot aqueous media or moist steam. The processes described in the said specification consist broadly in the treatment of the materials, during, continuously with or subsequent to their production, with steam and especially dry steam, and particularly at temperatures approximating to or slightly above the boiling point of water at the pressure used.

U. S. application S. No. 416,292 describes how the modification of the properties of the products by the various processes described above may be very considerably assisted by incorporating in the products solvents or gelling agents for the cellulose derivatives, such incorporation taking place,

for example, during, continuously with or subse-- quent to the production of the products.

The present invention relates to the production of effect threads, yarns, fabric or other materials by means of the processes referred to above and especially the processes of U. S. application S. No.

416,292. Such effect materials comprise broadly threads, yarns, fabrics or other material made of or containing cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters or ethers in which part of the cellulose derivative is more resistant than the remainder to the delustering action of moist steam or other hot or boiling aqueous media. Such effect materials are of great value since by a simple treatment with a delustering agent such as referred to, designs or pattern effects may be produced, the less resistant portion of the material becoming more delustred than the more resistant portion.

The new efiect materials of the present invention may convenientlybe prepared by taking advantage of the enhanced action described in U. S. application S. No. 416,292 due to the presence of solvents or gelling agents for the cellulose derivatives. For example, a solvent or gelling agent gelling agent so that, after subjection to the 2 claims. (on. 2s -i) esters or ethers and the materials thereafter subjected to a treatment with dry steam.

The local application of the solvents or gelling agents may be effected by any convenient means. For instance a fabric or yarn may be printed or stencilled with a thickened paste or preparation containing the solvent or gelling agent. Alternatively a travelling thread or yarn may be intermittently impregnated with the solvent or gelling agent by theprocesses described in U. S. patent 5 application S. No. 406,355 dated 11th November, 1929. As examples of solvents or gelling agents particularly suitable for cellulose acetate the following may be mentioned:resorcinol, hydroquinone, cresols, diacetone-alcohol, diacetin, paratoluene-sulphonamide and the isomeric xylene sulphonamides and their alkyl derivatives, diethyl-tartrate, phthalimide or mixtures of such bodies. Though it is preferred to use the foregoing bodies or other non-volatile solvents or gelling agents, results of considerable value may be obtained with agents of greater volatility, for example phenol, ethyl lactate, glycol ethers or acetic acid.

As referred to above, the materials locally impregnated with the solvents or gelling agents may thereafter be treated with dry steam to obtain the desired efiects. The resultant materials may be subjected to the action of hot or boiling aqueous media or moist steam, the parts which have not been impregnated with the solvent or gelling agent becoming progressively delustered as compared with the parts so impregnated. The invention includes the materials both before and after treatment with the delustering agent.

A further variety of effects may be obtained by the use of colouring matters at various stages of the processes. For example suitable colouring matters may be incorporated in the solvent or till delustring agent, the materials may present an appearance of a lustrous coloured design against a white more or less matt ground. Again, as an alternative or in addition a colouring matter may be present in the delustring agent so that either a uniformly coloured material with a lustrous design is obtained or a coloured matt ground contrasting with lustrous parts of modified shade is obtained. Furthermore, already coloured material may be treated according to the present invention, the solvent or gelling agent being locally applied with or without a further colouring matter.

According to another form of the invention, new effect threads may be obtained by twisting, weaving, knitting or otherwise making up threads, yarns or other materials which have been treated by any of the processes described in U. S. applications S. Nos. 416,292 or 415,833 with normal untreated threads, yarns or other materials of cellulose acetate or other cellulose esters or ethers with or without other fibres, for example natural silk, wool, cotton or the cellulosic type of artificial silk (rayon). Any or all of such types of yarn, treated or untreated in the case of cellulose derivatives, may be coloured before or after treatment.

The following examples show the best methods known to us for carrying the invention into effect, but they are not to be regarded as limiting the invention in any way:

Example A cellulose acetate satin fabric which has previously been scouredand dried, is printed with a paste made up as follows:--

Parts P-toluene sulphonamide -1 22 Methylated spirit 10 Gum arabic solution 1/1 Water 23 It is now dried, steamed for hour with dry steam at 5 lbs. pressure, washed off, and boiled for 1% hours in a 10 gram per litre soap solution. The printed portions form a lustrous effect against the delustred ground of the unprinted localities. The fabric may be dyed by any known cellulose ester technique, in which case all parts are coloured.

Example 2 Cellulose acetate yarn in hank form is treated for 3 hours in a 30:1 bath of a 0.3% solution of resorcinol.- The goods are lifted, hydroextracted, and dried without rinsing. They are now steamed for %'hour with dry steam at 5 lbs. pressure, soaped lightly, and dried. A figured or patterned fabric woven with this yarn as warp and untreated cellulose acetate yarn as weft is now treated in a boiling 5 gram per litre soap solution. The warp retains its lustre, whereas the weft becomes delustred, resulting in a patterned effect in differential lustres.

Example 3 A cellulose acetate weft/cotton warp fabric is scoured, dried, and printed with a printing paste composed as follows:-

Parts Hydroquinone 1 20 Methylated spirit 12 Gum arabic solution 1:1 145 Water 23 It is now dried, steamed for hour with dry steam at 5 lbs. pressure, washed off, and boiled for 1 hours in a 5 gram per litre soap solution.

The fabric is now dyed, the cellulose acetate portion orange with the dyestuff paranitrobenzeneazodiphenylamine, and the cotton blue with Chlorazol Sky Blue F F (Colour Index No. 518) to give a two-colour shot effect with a lustrous design. I

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Process for the production of materials containing organic derivatives of cellulose in which part of the cellulose derivative is delustered and part is substantially resistant to the delustering action of hot aqueous media, comprising subjecting to the action of a delustering agent materials comprising organic derivatives of cellulose in which part of the cellulose derivative is lustrous and is permanently more resistant than the remainder to the delustering action of hot aqueous media.

2. Process for the production of materials containing organic derivatives of cellulose in which 

